Johnathan Harris
|birthplace= Brainerd, Minnesota |heightft= 6 |heightin= 4 |weight= 241 |college= Minnesota |draftyear= 2015 |draftround= 7 |draftpick= 224 |debutyear= 2016 |debutteam= Rochester Blue Animals |pastteams= * Vermont Alpines (2015)* * Rochester Blue Animals (2015-2017) * Phoenix Deserts (2018-present) |status=Active |awards= |highlights = }} Johnathan Harris ''' (born July 19, 1991) is an American football quarterback who plays for the Phoenix Deserts of the CPFL. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and was drafted by the Vermont Alpines in the 7th round, 224th overall, of the CPFL draft. Early Life Harris was born on July 19th, 1991, in Brainerd, Minnesota to Chris and Nicole Harris. Harris attended Brainerd High School. In his 3 years as a starter for the Warriors, he threw for a school record 5,352 yards and 51 touchdowns. He was a two-sport athlete, also playing basketball. He was rated as a 3 star recruit coming out of high school and committed to the University of Minnesota in April of 2009. College Career Harris redshirted as a freshman at Minnesota in 2010. Prior to the 2011 season, Harris was named the backup to senior Tyler Washman, however he got a chance to play when Washman went down with an ankle injury in a blowout loss to Nebraska. Harris filled in for the rest of that game, throwing for 87 yards and the only touchdown for the Golden Gophers in the 4th quarter during the blowout 49-13 loss. Harris would go on to start the next week for the 1-6 Golden Gophers against their rivals, the 5-2 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Battle for the Floyd of Rosedale, in which Harris led them to a thrilling 22-21 victory capped off with an incredible 64 yard touchdown pass by Harris at the end of regulation to give the Golden Gophers the win. Harris would go on to finish out the season for the Golden Gophers, losing to two ranked opponents in Michigan State and Wisconsin, but finishing off the season with 2 wins against Northwestern and Illinois. In 2012, he was named the starter for the Golden Gophers, leading them to an 7-5 record and a berth to the Insight Bowl, where they faced off against Texas A&M. They would end up losing 35-27 to the Aggies. Harris retained his starting position in 2013, however he only started 6 games due to a season ending injury during a game against Michigan during the 6th game of the season. Backup QB Percy Quinn would step in as the Golden Gophers limped their way to a 6-6 record despite starting 5-0, and would suffer a loss in the Texas Bowl to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 45-21. In 2014 Harris returned from his injury and started 11 games before going down with another season ending injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Nebraska in the 28-24 win. Quinn would be forced to reprise his role as backup QB, and despite a loss to Wisconsin in the last game of the season, they earned a berth to the Citrus Bowl, where they'd lose to Missouri 33-17. The Golden Gophers would finish the season 8-5. Professional Career '''Vermont Alpines 2015 Season Harris was rated to be the 15th best quarterback in the 2015 CPFL draft by CPFLdraftscout.com. It was unknown where he'd go due to his injury ridden past and scouts criticizing his lack of raw arm strength. However, the Alpines decided to draft him with their 7th round selection, 224th overall. He would appear in 2 preseason games, and was projected to be the #3 QB on the roster, however he was waived by the Alpines and sent to the practice squad. Rochester Blue Animals 2016 Season Harris was retained by Blue Animals during the 2016 season, and was named #3 QB on the roster heading into the preseason. 2017 Season Harris would be named 2nd string QB to Tyler Miller in 2017. He was thrusted into the first string role halfway through the season after Miller torn his ACL. Phoenix Deserts 2018 Season Harris would sign with the Phoenix Deserts during the offseason, and competed with journeyman veteran Joe Hopkins for the starting job. Hopkins surprisingly was named the starter over Harris at the beginning of the season as the Deserts started 0-2. During week 3, Hopkins went down with a concussion, leading the way for Harris to lead the Deserts to a 43-40 OT victory at home against the Nevada Monsters. Harris would remain the starter for the rest of the season, leading the Deserts to a 7-9 record, their best record since 2012, many of those losses being in extremely close games. Harris would throw for 28 TD's and 10 INT's, as well as getting 2 rushing TD's on the ground with a 65% completion percentage and 3,891 yards through the air. Category:2015 Draft Prospects